The EIE Pro from Akai Professional is a tabletop USB audio interface, perfect for the project or portable studio setup. It features four microphone preamps with switchable phantom power (in pairs), and each input can also be set to accept a line input or an instrument input, such as a guitar or bass, or a synthesizer.
Low latency ASIO drivers allow for recording digital audio with up to 24-bit resolution and sample rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96kHz into virtually any DAW, recording or performance software on Mac and Windows based systems. Each channel has a dedicated gain knob and a rear panel insert jack for external processing.
The four balanced, rear panel output jacks can be used to monitor sessions on multiple sets of studio monitors. Both pairs of outputs can be monitored visually with the high-quality, analog VU meters providing classic features with modern style. In addition to the high quality analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, MIDI input and output (16 channels) allows for bridging other MIDI controllers.
The EIE Pro sends and receives four audio channels on a single USB cable for simple interfacing with a computer. The interface is class compliant for plug-and-play operation with Mac OS X and Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. For those situations where more USB ports are required, the unit can function as a hub with the three additional USB connectors available from the rear panel.